Field Settings | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips
Bob Willis vs Australia, Headingly 1981 Attack Rating: 80.6
SUMMARY:
In any other game Bob Willis’s  extraordinary second innings spell against the Australians at Headingly in 1981 would be the stuff of legend. However just as often it lies in the shadow of Ian Botham’s feats a day earlier. In this most famous of test matches Willis bowling figures of 15.1 Overs, 3 Maidens, 43-8 we’re the perfect riposte to Botham’s match saving 145n.o.  Even more remarkable was the fact that Willis had gone wicketless in the first innings and there were press murmurings about his place in the side.

There is no doubt that on this particular day Willis would have picked up wickets regardless of the field setting: In an inspired spell of fast bowling he made the most of a wicket that had been unpredictable all match. The bowling was controlled but vicious with nearly every ball demanding something of the batsman.

Yet even as Australia collapsed from 1/50  to 8/110 Australia could still have fallen across the line with a few singles and a streaky boundary. Captain Mike Brearley had started the day with only 121 runs to defend and as the innings progressed it was his subtle changes to the field that both risked runs and drew wickets and was a small, but very real contribution to a victory against all odds.

BOWLING TO THIS FIELD:

In normal circumstances the primary purpose of this field is to draw an edge to the keeper/slip-cordon. It can be effective because the large gaps in the off side & the away swing often prove too tempting for batsman to resist committing to an aggressive shot.  The bowler is aided by the extra bounce of the new ball & speed off the pitch making late shot adjustments difficult.  The batsman may go through with the aggressive shot or at the last moment decide to leave the ball or attempt to defend instead.. The lack of defence, especially on the leg side means no bowler should attempt this unless they have excellent control of line & length.

And this is exactly what Willis achieved on that day in Headingly...

Willis's ability to keep to a consisent out-side-Off stump line gave Brearley just enough flexibility to keep fielders in catching positions, and defend runs on the off-side.  Had Willis failed to do this there were easy leg side runs and the entire strategy would have fallen to pieces.

Apart from his sheer pace and bounce a major key to Willis’s sucess was his going wide on the bowling crease to deliver balls that were pitching outside off stump but angling into the stumps.  This angle gave batsmen no choice but to commit to play at shots pitching outside off stump.   It is no coincidence then that 7 of Willis’s 8 wickets were from catches and 5 of those were behind the wicket on the off-side.

The Stock Ball to this Field:

  • Willis’s stock ball pitched well outside off, angling into Middle stump.
  • He maintained this line irrespective of length, often putting the ball in at a 11-12m (back of a good length) to pin the batsman in the crease and generally unsettle them with risk of being hit  (Indeed Willis broke John Dysons finger, and struck Rod Marsh a nasty blow on the upper thigh)

Bowling Variations/Wicket Balls:

  • It was the need or desire to commit to shots outside off stump that generally brought batsmen undone:

    The majority of Willis’s wickets came from short balls where Willis maintained the same line (Outside Off) but reduced the degree of angle – effectively a straighter ball that maintained its line.  These balls were usually short enough to induce the batsman to attempt a cross-bat back foot shot, but found themselves playing inside the line and dealing with more bounce than they expected:  result:  edges and skied balls

Avoid:

  • Willis did not get carried away with the extra-bounce and did not start bowling too many bouncers. He used it as a useful variation.
  • Willis’s line remained very accurate.  The fact is that his Captain had bet the whole game on him maintaining line.  With just 121 runs to defend Brearley backed Willis by setting 4 slips and a short Leg leaving practically nothing to defend stray bowling.

BATTING AGAINST THIS FIELD:

It’s hard to bat against any bowler who is having an ‘inspired’ spell, particularly on a unpredictable wicket.  However by just looking at the way the Australians got out provides an indicator as to what they could have done better.   In hindsight, they could have defeated the rampaging bowler by dropping the shots that were playing into Willis's hands, and concentrated on defeating the Captain’s field.  However, even after 3-4 wickets had fallen in similar manner none of the Australians seemed willing to adjust their play to the situation. Batting at 7, Rod Marsh's dismissal attempting an aggresive cut shot is a particularly good example

Australian Captain, Kim Hughes made an interesting observation after the match.  He said he believed Willis had bowled just as well in the first innings (where he went wicketless!) as he had in the second (8/43).   He felt that the difference was that in the first innings Australian Batsman played and missed often: the run of luck was with them and they did not take edges.  In the second innings the run of luck ran with England and the edges came: Both cases still proved the same thing, ie the Australian batsman prodded at too many balls outside off stump. They got away with it in the first innings; it brought them undone in the second.

So, Lesson #1:  Leave balls that are short outside off stump.  They are going to bounce over the wicket and judging the angle and extent of bounce will draw edges.  Show the bowler that you have absolutely no interest in balls in that corridor and make the bowler bowl to you.  Play conservatively within the ‘V’, use the angle of the delivery to push into mid-on off front and back foot and take singles. 

Lesson #2: See the ‘inspired’ bowler off.  Get your runs from the other end.

VARIATIONS:
  • After 6 wickets down, Brearley brought up the Fine Leg to short Fine Leg whenever the weaker batsman was on strike

  • A highly unconventional variation was the placement of both a deep third man and a fine deep backward point – the two fielders less than 30 meters apart.  It was a daring move given there were already 4 slips and it left the rest of the field largely undefended;  It proved to be inspired.  Within minutes of setting the positions a skied top edge from a badly executed cut shot flew directly to Dilley at deep third man

  • One of the best catches of the day was taken by Mike Gatting fielding at Short Leg:  An interesting footnote is that the position of Short Leg in this era seems to be at least 2-3 feet deeper than the modern placement.  Whether this is a consequence of improvements to protective equipment over the years or Brearley’s particular preference on that particular day is unknown: but it is interesting to note that the exact location of some positions can subtly move over time.

WHERE SEEN USED:
  •  Bob Willis,  The Ashes, 1981, 3rd Test, England v Australia, Headingley, Leeds, Day 5, 21 July 1981 (5-day match) 

REFEREMCES:
  • Botham’s Ashes (BBC)

  • Various Public Observations